General Dynamics Land Systems has secured a production contract from the U.S. Army to upgrade 100 Abrams main battle tanks into the new M1A2 SEP v.3 configuration. The Army had earlier accepted the first of about a half-dozen initial production versions of the modernized main battle tank late last year.

The Army is on track to receive its first prototypes of the upgraded M1A2 Abrams tank by the end of September, the branch’s PEO Ground Combat Systems office told Scout Warrior on Sept. 14, with plans to start fielding the souped-up new model downrange by fiscal year 2020.